How Did Abraham Get From Mesapotamia To The Promised Land?

Solutions to this and other ancient mysteries abound at Jerusalem’s Bible Lands Museum.

“The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you… Abram… took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. . .” (Genesis 12:1-5).

Have you ever wondered exactly how Father Abraham and his entourage got from Haran in Mesopotamia to the far away Promised Land? Did they ride on camels? Or would they have traveled in style – perhaps in a comfortable carriage?
You can find the answer on a visit to Jerusalem’s unique Jerusalem Bible Lands Museum, where you are taken on a fascinating voyage back in time to the people, countries and cultures of the Bible. You’ll learn how ancient customs and traditions influenced our forefathers, and provided the backdrop to the Jewish religion, the Jewish spirit and the Jewish homeland.

Archaeologists believe that Abraham’s family may have traveled in a bull-driven cart exactly like a model on display in one of the galleries. Made of bronze, the model is an original that dates back to somewhere between 3000 and 2000 B.C.E. What makes it so exciting is the fact that it was discovered right near Haran, the city where Abraham was living when commanded to “go to the land”. Possibly, people residing in the Middle East long ago made models of their carts and left them at home, in the belief that this would protect them on their journeys.

 

Read the full article over at The Times of Israel